art of life
by pengiechan
Summary: AU, rewrite. "There's more to us - to the Blade Children - than anyone, even we, expected." Multiple pairings, violence, drama, crazy sci-fi elements, and more. Told from Kousuke's perspective. In progress, chapters 3&4 up.
1. a fairy tale without the happy ending

**author's note: **Nine years ago, under a name I can't even remember anymore, I began writing a Spiral fanfiction called Art of Life. It was long and clumsy and full of cursing and sex, and while poorly written and preposterous, it was also somehow... special. And somehow that initial idea and story has stayed with me and evolved, and grown, and now it has seized my mind and hands in its grasp and forced me to write it _again_, damn it, but better this time. So that's what I hope to do.

**This is an alternate universe fanfiction. **It assumes that the manga never happened, only the anime, and thus all of what happens or is explained in the manga is rendered null and void. It's also important to know that certain important details will be changed for the sake of the plot. The best thing you can do, as you read this, is forget most of what you know, and just let me tell the story. Also, this will all be from **Kousuke's POV**, because writing as Kousuke is fun. :)

I don't know how far I'll get with this, but I hope you enjoy it, no matter what.

* * *

_"all existence you see before you_  
_must be wiped out:_  
_dreams, reality, memories,_  
_and yourself."_  
- X Japan, "ART OF LIFE"

* * *

**art of life**  
chapter one

* * *

"Once upon a time, a long time ago, there was a god and a devil."

We've all heard this story before. We know it by heart.

Well - most of us do, anyway. By now, _I_ could tell it to you forwards and backwards, and probably in my sleep.

"The devil was not an evil man. He was charismatic and brilliant, and sought change for the world. He meant to do well by his people. But he was consumed by a desire for power, and by the need to bring about a new world with his own two hands."

"What is this, a fairy tale?"

"Ayumu." There's a pretty young woman seated to my right with honey-colored hair and warm brown eyes, and although she's giggling at the remark that has just been made, she's playing peacekeeper like she always does, trying to keep a fight from breaking out. "Please."

"Seriously." The second speaker is a young man - younger than the rest of us, actually - seated on the floor by the blonde's feet, one hand in his messy brown hair and the other gesturing to the occupants of the room as if completely bewildered. His name is Narumi Ayumu and the blonde is Yuizaki Hiyono, and they are both too damn smart for their own good. "You're telling me I waited three years to hear_ this_?"

"Narumi-otouto." The voice that comes from my left - from the person who had begun telling the story in question - is low and slightly cold, and it belongs to a man with pale hair, ice blue eyes, and a closet that contains nothing but black clothing. His name is Eyes Rutherford, and he is a famous pianist. He's also a downright pain in the ass, but that's another story. "It would do you good to listen closely to this story. As unbelievable as it may sound, it does concern you, as well as all of us."

"Because of my brother?" Ayumu asks, his eyebrows creasing slightly. Eyes nods in response, and then there's a pause as the younger man exchanges glances with Hiyono - who, it might be important to mention, is Ayumu's girlfriend. Or fiancee. I forget, whatever. "Fine," he says, slowly. "I'm sorry to have interrupted."

"I will continue." Eyes looks out of place sitting on a high-backed kitchen chair in the middle of my living room, although if anyone could make such a situation look regal, it would be him; as he folds his hands across one bent knee, I'm struck by how much he resembles some kind of dark prince. All he needs is a crown. "The devil was not an evil man. But he desired change in this world. He used his charisma and intelligence to attract like-minded people who could help him fulfill his desires, and reach his ideals. While his intentions were noble, they were also ill-suited for our society."

"Ill-suited?" Hiyono tilts her head to one side, a braided pigtail falling across her shoulder. "How is that, Rutherford-san?"

"You could say that the world wasn't ready for the kind of thing he created." The high-pitched voice across the room comes from Takeuchi Rio, a tiny little thing with long gray hair, wide eyes, and a countenance that is deceptively sweet. I've known her all my life, almost, and I still don't trust her. Rio sits beside Eyes in another kitchen chair, her legs tucked beneath her, and the smile she gives Hiyono is genuinely kind. They like each other a lot, I think. "This man - the devil, as we call him - decided that he wanted to improve the world. But the way he chose to improve it wasn't... um, right."

"Are you talking about the Blade Children?"

"Yes." Eyes nods at Ayumu, who has already pieced things together, being a genius and all. "The devil's name was Mizushiro Yaiba. He was the creator of the Blade Children."

"I see."

"Yaiba sought to purify society by introducing children with high levels of intelligence and ability. He brought together men and women who were the greatest in their respective fields - physicists, athletes, technicians, researchers, and so on. These men and women identified with his intentions, with his ideals, and willingly produced him heirs. They agreed to surrender their children to his care, with the understanding that they would be taught by Yaiba, and raised without knowing of their parents. In all, eighty children were born in the first "Blade Children" experiment." Eyes pauses, looking from Ayumu to Hiyono, then to the rest of us. "As you already know, a vast majority of the Blade Children are now... deceased. Very few remain."

"Why's that?"

"We were told they were killed, but..." On the floor to Rio's other side is a brunette with ruby eyes and hair cut short, her slender arms wrapped around a pillow in her lap. Takamachi Ryouko is someone else I've known almost my entire life, but you could say I "know" her a lot better than everyone else in this room. If you know what I mean. "But it's sounding like that isn't the truth at all," she continues, her gaze shifting to mine just briefly, as if to confirm what she's saying. "Apparently most of them died at birth, or at a very young age, all under suspicious circumstances."

"That's horrible..." Hiyono covers her mouth with one hand. I nod at her, as if to say "tell me about it," but horrible doesn't even _begin_ to describe it.

"Circumstances aside..." Eyes rubs the bridge of his nose with one hand for a moment, and I can tell he's tired already. He doesn't do well with social interaction, never has. "... it appears that the original plan was to raise the Blade Children together in a compound, to prepare them to infiltrate society. Whether Yaiba's intentions were for us to naturally raise the intelligence of society by continuing to produce higher than average children, or for something more... savage..." I see him shudder slightly. "... we do not know."

"You don't _know_...?"

"Consider this, Narumi-otouto." Eyes fixes Ayumu with a cold gaze. "You are familiar with Newton's third law, are you not?"

"Of course." Ayumu nods, crossing his arms. "How is that applicable to this situation?"

"Hey." I speak up, finally, rolling my eyes. "Care to explain for us plebians over here?"

Ryouko throws her pillow at me, and I catch it. "Idiot. Pay attention in class for once. Newton's third law of physics says that every action has an equal and opposite reaction."

There's a moment of silence as I turn the pillow around in my hands. I'm pretty sure I know why Eyes brought it up - and I do remember all of Newton's laws of physics, now that my memory's been jogged - but I'll never miss an opportunity to be a smartass. "So for everything you throw at me - "

"Kousuke," Ryouko cuts me off, groaning, "_stop_ it."

"For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Where there is light, there is also dark." Eyes is probably ignoring me, which is for the best. "Where there is life, death. And where there is a devil... there is also a god."

"That was very poetic, Eyes-kun!" Rio claps her hands together, giggling. "Very good!"

"So there's a god in this story too, eh..." Ayumu shakes his head. "Who was he?"

"His name was - is - Narumi Kiyotaka."

"Aniki?!"

"Kiyotaka-san is - " Hiyono's eyes are wider than I've ever seen them, and considering how dramatic her facial expressions usually are, that's saying a lot. "How so - ?!"

"If Mizushiro Yaiba was the dark, Narumi Kiyotaka was the light." Eyes' voice is hardening now, and I brace myself, anticipating what is about to come next. I know this story well, but that doesn't mean I like it. Across from me, I see Ryouko's gaze fall to the floor, and even Rio seems reluctant to listen now. "Many years ago, before his disappearance, Narumi Kiyotaka emerged as a man of power. He located Yaiba, and ended his life."

"... _what?_"

"No..."

"I am afraid it is true." There's a flicker of what might be sympathy on Eyes' usually cold face as he looks first at Hiyono, then Ayumu. "Kiyotaka's intention was to put a stop to the Blade Children project before it could begin anew. His way of ensuring this was to end Yaiba's life. However, he did not do so because he knew the truth about the Blade Children. He did so only because he disagreed with Yaiba's ideals." He pauses, swallowing. "After Yaiba's death, Kiyotaka was unable to learn the truth about the remaining children. When he left, he did so proclaiming that he would learn the truth - and that we would be saved from it. He also told us that you, Narumi Ayumu - " He points at the brown-haired man. " - would be able to save us, even if he could not."

"Aniki..." Ayumu starts, and then his brow furrows in thought. He stares at the floor for a few seconds, and then he lifts his head, looking at Eyes. "Alright. I can accept my brother's actions. It doesn't appear that you hold a grudge against him - or me - for ending Yaiba's life. Given what you've said so far, I can see why a man of his ideals would be killed." He frowns a little harder. "But you say that my brother was unable to learn the truth about the Blade Children. What exactly_ is_ the truth about the Blade Children, then? What exactly _are_ you, if not simply children of unusually intelligent parents?"

"That's the thing, Ayumu-kun..." Rio sighs. "What Eyes-kun has been telling you is almost everything we know."

"... you_ can't_ be serious."

"Honestly, Narumi, we know precious little about what we are." I speak up again, understanding Ayumu's dismay, wanting to put it to rest as gently as I can. "No one has told us exactly why so many of the other Blade Children were killed, or why we are to be feared. No one has explained anything beyond what Rutherford has already told you. We were told as children that we were cursed, and destined to die, and that's it. The Hunters you saw chasing us around - well - " I gesture to Eyes. "Maybe you'd better explain that."

"After Yaiba's death, three groups were formed. The Hunters are those who seek to end our lives at any cost, believing the Blade Children once had - or perhaps still have - the possibility of ending or drastically impacting society in Japan. The Watchers are those who prefer to monitor the situation, and act accordingly. And the Savers are those - like Narumi Kiyotaka - who believe that the Blade Children can be "saved," or kept from causing harm, with the proper intervention." Eyes clasps his hands together tight. "However, a very large majority of the people in these three groups do not know the truth, either. In fact, many of them are following orders given by Yaiba, or Kiyotaka, based entirely on ideals."

"Then..." Hiyono looks around the room. "Why is it that the Hunters would try to kill you...?"

"Our best guess," I answer her, "is that we have some kind of power, or ability, that we aren't aware of. It would be overkill to murder children simply for potentially having high IQs, right?" When she nods, slowly - rather nervously - I continue. "We've heard rumors that something is supposed to happen to us around age twenty that will make everything clear. Narumi's older brother left to try to seek out that truth, and to find out what could be done to "save" us. But..." I see Ayumu watching me now, carefully. "... it's been a long time since we've heard from him. There haven't been a lot of Hunters around us, recently, and nearly all the Savers we knew have vanished. There are just a few Watchers left, but they try not to contact us unless it's absolutely necessary - since they're supposed to be some neutral third party, or something." I see Eyes rising from his chair and know exactly what he's doing. "I know it's frustrating, waiting so long to hear us tell you about all this, and then finding out that not even we really know the meaning behind the Blade Children - "

"Frustrating is an understatement, Asazuki." Ayumu's voice is dry. "I've also just learned that my brother is a murderer, in case you've forgotten."

"Hey, don't be an asshole."

"_Kousuke!_"

"What? He's being a jerk. It's not_ my_ fault Kiyotaka murdered some stupid guy." I push my glasses up on my nose, ignoring the glare Ryouko is currently sending my way. "Besides, you shouldn't forget who you're talking to. _We're_ the ones who had to get chased around fighting for our damn lives all the time. Maybe you should have a little more sympathy for our situation."

I expect a fight, but Ayumu seems surprised, somehow - and when Hiyono reaches down to gently place a hand on his shoulder, he sighs heavily, shaking his head from side to side. "Sorry," he apologizes, softly, "... Asazuki. I wasn't implying that your situation wasn't difficult."

"Ayumu is surprised, that's all." Hiyono smiles slightly. "And I am, too."

"It's completely understandable." Rio smiles as well, but her expression is almost radiant, and I can tell she's trying to cheer everyone up. "Honestly, Ayumu-kun, we had hoped that it wouldn't be necessary to involve you in any of this, or tell you any more than you already knew. After all, we were all happier living as we were, right?" She looks to Ryouko, then to me. "Kousuke-kun and Ryouko-chan have been doing so well in university, and I've been having fun helping to research explosives for the government. And Eyes-kun - " She lifts her head to watch Eyes come back in from the kitchen, a long white envelope in one hand. " - Eyes-kun has been playing the piano for the whole world to hear. Somehow, we've been able to be happy, the four of us. But..."

"But," Eyes continues, sitting again in his chair and opening the envelope, "we received a message a few days ago. This is what made it necessary to contact you."

"A message?" Ayumu lifts both eyebrows. "Not... from my brother, is it?"

"No."

"... ah."

"Who is it from, then?" Hiyono blinks at Eyes, her hand slipping away from Ayumu's shoulder; I notice a silver band on it and remember right, fiancee, that's what she is after all. "A Hunter?"

"A Watcher." Eyes pulls out a sheet of paper and unfolds it, smoothing out the creases on his lap. "Her name is Tsuchiya Kirie."

"And Eyes-kun _looooooves_ Kirie-chan," Rio comments, giggling, and Ryouko and I both smother laughter into the backs of our hands. Eyes turns up his nose at that remark, suddenly looking rather indignant, and Rio takes it upon herself to explain to Ayumu and Hiyono. "Kirie-chan is a Watcher who has interacted with us a lot. Usually the Watchers don't do anything for the Blade Children, but she used to know Kiyotaka-san very well, and has decided to work independently of the rest of the remaining factions."

"She is also," Eyes says, nose still turned up, and Ryouko nearly cackles, "a woman with miserable habits, and a personality to match."

"She smokes," I tell Ayumu, and he grins, because we all know by now how Eyes Rutherford feels about_ that_ subject.

"As I was saying." Eyes crosses one leg over the other, obviously annoyed with our banter. "Kirie sent me a message several days ago. I had been traveling, at the time, but she made certain that I received it. Although I am still waiting to hear from her again, she does not... mince words, so to speak. So I am certain that her letter was meant to be the catalyst for this conversation to come about."

"What does it say?"

"It says," he continues, lifting the sheet to read - and squinting, because the idiot needs glasses and won't admit it - "that she has news to share with us. She requests our presence for a meeting. This is not unusual, on its own, yet her final sentence..." He pauses, and I see him swallow, and at the sound of his next line Ayumu nearly starts from the floor. "Narumi Kiyotaka has turned from you."

"What does - what does that_ mean_?"

"It means he's a Hunter," Hiyono declares, and I have to give the girl credit - she's as sharp as a knife when she wants to be, even smarter than Ayumu sometimes. "... doesn't it?"

"Aniki," Ayumu breathes, and cradles his head in his hands and stares at the floor. Eyes watches him for a moment before folding the paper again and tucking it back inside the envelope. Hiyono leans over her boyf - fiance and places both hands on his shoulders, murmuring words of comfort and support, and I have to admit I'm a little jealous. My eyes meet Ryouko's and she shrugs, not carelessly but rather sadly, and when I finally look at Rio I see that she's shifted in her chair, drawing her knees to her chin like a child would sit, and I imagine it's only a matter of time before the crying begins again.

I have no idea what is about to happen to us, but something tells me I should be concerned. Or scared. Or both.


	2. white rabbits and black cats

**art of life**  
chapter two

* * *

"You look just like him."

Tsuchiya Kirie really doesn't mince words, after all. I've only met her once before now, and she is the same as I remember her: pink-haired and blue-eyed, a little on the short side, addicted to cigarettes, and hilariously witty. She stands in the doorway of the Rutherford loft, a cigarette burning low between her lips as she peels off her tall boots, and this remark to Ayumu is met with a raised eyebrow and a slight frown. "Like my brother?" he asks, and the question is so stupid that I want to slap him. Who does he _think_ she means?!

"Of course," Kirie replies, rolling her eyes dramatically. She tosses her shoes aside and proceeds into the hallway where we've all crowded, eager to catch a glimpse of this Watcher, to press her for answers, to maybe even ask her for help. She examines Ayumu critically for a moment before plucking the cigarette from her mouth and turning to look at the rest of us. Her eyes move from Ayumu to Hiyono, then to Eyes, then Rio, and finally Ryouko and I, standing together behind the others. After she surveys us she heaves a loud sigh, casting a sideways glance at Eyes. "Well, let's get this over with."

We proceed into Eyes' massive dining room and settle down at the table mostly in silence, save Hiyono quietly murmuring a question to Ayumu that is replied to with a grunt. Kirie disappears for a moment, presumably to throw away her cigarette, and when she arrives at the end of the table she's looking at Eyes again. "You told him, right?"

"Three days ago."

"The girl, too?"

Hiyono laughs softly, bowing her head slightly as Kirie looks down the table at her. "I've been with Ayumu since the beginning, Tsuchiya-san. It would have been impossible to exclude me."

"Hmph. I guess so." One side of the older woman's mouth jerks up in a smile. "Congratulations, by the way."

"Oh - " Hiyono blushes, absently touching her ring. "Thank you..."

"Let's get down to business." Kirie folds her hands together, leaning back in her chair, and all attention is immediately on her. "I'm not here as a Watcher," she says, with a slight frown, "or a Saver, or a Hunter, or anything. I'm here because some things have come to light that all of you need to know." She pauses, swallowing, and I can see that speaking this way - openly, that is - is difficult for her. "Before, I would have been perfectly content to sit back and watch things play out according to Kiyotaka's will, or allowed the Hunters to have their way with you. But the few of you who are left deserve more than an untimely death."

"Kiyotaka-san's will?" Rio asks quietly. "What does that mean?"

"I wrote in my note to Raza-kun," Kirie begins, and thankfully doesn't notice me smirking at this nickname, "that Kiyotaka has turned from you all. That's primarily why I'm here. The last time I spoke to him - last week - he told me that he had learned the truth, and had no plans to support the Blade Children any longer."

"So Kiyotaka knows - " Ryouko looks from Kirie to me, then to Kirie again, eyes wide. "He knows what we are - ?"

"As far as I am aware, yes, he does now."

"Did he tell you...?"

"No. But he did give me some hints." She closes her eyes, exhaling. "My memory's not what it used to be, and he was rambling on pretty fast, but I'll do my best to repeat what he said. First of all, it's important to note that the last time I spoke to Kiyotaka before our phone call was nearly two years ago. At that time, he indicated that he had two Blade Children in his care - or at least under some sort of surveillance - and that he was working with them in an attempt to learn the truth, and find a way to "save" them, and the rest of you, from the "curse" you've been told about."

"Two Blade Children...?" Rio blinks. "Who?"

"Did you know that the number eighty was actually unplanned?" Kirie opens one eye. "Yaiba originally had well over a hundred couples in support of his plan, willing to give up the children they bore for his perfect society. But some of the pregnancies failed, of course... some of the women changed their minds... and so on, and so forth. But what contributed to that final, perfect number was the fact that there were two sets of twins." She sees us exchange glances - this information is new, to us - and opens her other eye, nodding. "I don't know which set Kiyotaka had in his custody, but he said he had a pair of them. That's what I gathered, anyway."

"But you say "had," now, as in..." I raise an eyebrow. "Past tense?"

"I'm getting to that. Patience." She nods at me. "Alright, so back to my phone call. I have no idea where Kiyotaka called me from, but it sounded busy, like some sort of city. And it wasn't from a number I could trace, although I'm sure if I give it to _you_ - " She points to Hiyono. " - you'll be able to do more with it than I could."

The blonde smiles ever-so-slightly. "Do I have a reputation that I am unaware of, Tsuchiya-san?"

"Something like that, "White Rabbit.""

"White Rab..." Ayumu begins, then sees the grin that has appeared on his fiancee's mouth and groans, rubbing his forehead with one head. "_Hiyono_..."

"I'm going to assume this is all a reference to some crazy hacker shit I have no interest in." I wave a hand at this scene, pretending not to feel Ryouko kicking me under the table. "What exactly did Kiyotaka say?"

"He said, first of all, that the time had come for us to choose sides... whatever that is supposed to mean." Kirie looks to Ayumu. "As I think you already know, your brother disappeared in order to pursue the mystery of the Blade Children. When he initially showed up - a long time ago, probably when you were still a kid - and killed Yaiba, it was because he sought to protect society from Yaiba's influence. Eventually, his intent became to protect the Blade Children, and to save them from the Hunters. You might assume that this would make him a Saver, but he never fully declared himself as such." She pauses, licking her lips. "So when he said it was time to choose sides, I knew it wasn't good."

"Then what?"

"I started to ask him what the hell he was talking about, but then he asked me if I remembered Amanae Fusai." She glances around the table, as if looking for signs of recognition on our faces, but we all give her what I'm sure are blank stares. "Amanae was a surgeon. He was one of Yaiba's supporters, and was involved very early on in the Blade Children project - though I don't know exactly how. Some time before Kiyotaka appeared, Amanae, his wife, and two children were killed in a house fire. One of the children was his, but the other was a Blade Child that he had taken in, a little girl named Charlotte." Kirie frowns. "Foul play had been suspected, but nothing was ever proven."

Ryouko leans forward, resting her chin in her hands. "What does this have to do - "

"Kiyotaka said that Charlotte started the fire."

"A_ child_?" Rio lifts a hand to her mouth. "I know that some of us were capable of such a thing, as children, but to murder a family - "

"Furthermore," Kirie continues, interrupting, "he said that Charlotte used her powers - actually, lost control of her powers - and that is what started the fire."

"Powers?" Somehow we all manage to speak in unison - even Eyes - and I turn my head to look at Ryouko, bewildered. She stares back at me with a confused expression, and I'm certain that neither of us have _any_ idea what Kirie is talking about. Everyone else seems to feel the same way we do, but it's a while before anyone regains the ability to talk normally. "Tsuchiya-san," Hiyono pipes up, softly, "please go on."

"Sure. I'm afraid I can't elaborate any more on the powers thing. That was all Kiyotaka said." The pink-haired woman folds her hands together in her lap, still frowning. "I was still trying to make sense of everything at this point in the call. When I began to ask about Charlotte, he told me that the two Blade Children he'd been watching had escaped, and that they were out of control. That was when he said he'd learned the truth about them - I guess he meant the Blade Children as a whole - and that he could no longer allow them to live. He then said that the Hunters would have no choice but to resume their activities." She pauses, glancing at Ayumu, then shifts her gaze to her hands. "That was when he said that he would be among them."

"Aniki really said that..."

"I didn't think I was hearing him correctly." Kirie's voice is hard now. "But he then went on to say that he - well, to elaborate, I guess his assumption had been that he would be killed at some point, in exchange for his murder of Yaiba. He mentioned that to me before. And that was why he kept saying that _you_ - " She glances at Ayumu again. " - would be the hope of the Blade Children. You would be able to continue where he left off. But he told me that he no longer wants you to save the Blade Children. He no longer wants them to live."

Ayumu sighs loudly, shaking his head from side to side and leaning back in his seat. "What exactly is he thinking? Leaving neesan behind to get involved in this..."

Hiyono reaches out to rest a hand on his shoulder. "Regardless of what Kiyotaka-san might say, I know Ayumu won't abandon the Blade Children, especially if the Hunters are supposed to come again. We've all grown too close - haven't we?" She looks to Rio with a smile, then to Ryouko and I, and finally Eyes. We're all too dumbfounded to nod, but she doesn't seem to need our agreement, anyway. "So even if the world turns against them, Ayumu and I will fight to protect the Blade Children."

"That's touching." Kirie laughs. "But it's also what I expected from the two of you. I'm kind of glad to hear it."

"Did Kiyotaka say anything else?" Eyes speaks for the first time in what feels like a long while, his words coming slowly, carefully. "About the Blade Children who escaped, or what the Hunters were planning?"

"Not really. Well - actually, he may have said something about the twins coming to find the rest of you. He was talking so fast that it was hard to follow him, and you know how he likes to use riddles and crap..." She rolls her eyes. "But he said one more thing that I want to tell you, because I think it could be important." At that she stops for a moment, looking around the table at each of us individually, and I don't realize I'm holding my breath until she speaks again. "I heard him say, very clearly, that the remaining Blade Children must not be allowed to awaken."

"... what the hell does_ that_ mean?"

"My thoughts exactly," I mutter, with a nod at Ayumu. "First he talks about powers, then awakening - did he sound like he was drugged or something?"

Ryouko kicks me under the table again. "Kousuke, come _on_ - "

"No, I'm _serious_! Maybe somebody got to him and injected him with some kind of weird drug." I turn to her. "It's possible, isn't it?"

"Theoretically, but..." She seems conflicted, and I know how hard it is for her to admit when I'm right. I don't really blame her for that, though, because I'm wrong most of the time. "Anyway," she remarks, turning her attention back to Kirie, "was that everything he said?"

"That's all. Well, other than telling me again that it was time for me to choose sides, and that he'd know what side I chose based on what I did next." She chuckles softly, straightening in her seat, and for just a few seconds the smile on her face seems genuine. "I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to come after me now. I have a feeling he'll be pretty pissed when he finds out I'm no longer operating as a Watcher."

"You'll... be in danger, Kirie-chan?" Rio leans forward, concerned. "Can we - help, somehow?"

"I'll be fine. I can take care of myself." Kirie glances at Eyes. "And Raza-kun thinks I still haven't noticed, but I have guards outside of my apartment now. They've been there for the last few nights. Kiyotaka may be resourceful, but unless he's sending the Blade Children themselves after me, nobody's getting inside."

Eyes clears his throat, looking away uncomfortably. "I_ had_ planned on informing you of the protection."

"You're so sweet," Kirie says, smirking, and Eyes actually blushes. It takes every ounce of my strength not to howl with laughter, but the pre-emptive kick Ryouko gives my shin helps. She's getting good at knowing when to do that, but I'm not fond of the bruises that follow. "So, listen," she continues, turning her attention to Ayumu, "I don't know what your brother's next move will be, but I would highly suggest getting the _hell_ out of Tokyo. Go somewhere far away, unannounced, and take your sister-in-law with you."

Hiyono raises both eyebrows. "But what about the Blade Children - ?"

I wave a hand at her. "I'm not scared of Kiyotaka. We'll be alright here."

"I wasn't done." Kirie makes a face at me. "I'm going to do as much digging as I can to learn about the truth behind Kiyotaka's words - what he said about Charlotte's powers, and not allowing all of you to "awaken." But in the meantime, you should start to prepare. I don't know exactly how many Hunters are left, and how they plan to come after you, but when they do - not if, _when_ - it will be at full force." She seems to hesitate, as if what she's about to tell us is disagreeable. "I know the four of you have been trying to live normal lives, and that won't be easy to give up. But for the sake of your own existences, I think you should make plans to leave as well."

"It's..." Ryouko's voice is weak. "... that serious?"

"It worries me, honestly." Kirie's attention has shifted back to Eyes. "I know you have more than enough money, and good connections. Can you arrange to ship the whole lot of you off somewhere safe?"

"That may be possible." He seems pensive. "I can make arrangements. However, I question the urgency - "

"It's not so easy for us to just drop everything and leave." Ryouko interrupts him, and she's speaking louder this time. "Kousuke and I are in our second year of classes, and Rio - " She gestures to Rio, who's nodding along. " - has a job with the government. We can't simply leave that all behind, or suddenly vanish."

I expect Kirie to be mad, but she just laughs. "You've forgotten what it's like to be hunted, haven't you? This life you've been living has made you soft. I never thought I'd hear a Blade Child respond to the threat of a Hunter like you just did."

"I - I haven't forgotten, it's just - "

"Save it. I get what you're trying to say." One corner of her mouth turns up in a smile. "It's up to you. If you think you can take on the Hunters, go for it. I'm certainly not going to stop you. But you should be fully prepared for the inevitable."

"Meaning..." I swallow. "... you think the Hunters are definitely going to come after us?"

Her smile has turned strangely wry. "Kiyotaka didn't sound like he was going to sit on his ass and weigh his options, if that's what you're asking me. He knows where you are, or he can find out. Whatever this awakening nonsense is, I'm guessing it's serious, because he sounded..." She pauses, probably for effect. "... scared."

"Tsuchiya-san?" It's Hiyono speaking now, quietly, and I see she's placed one hand on top of both of Ayumu's. "I understand your concern. But if we could just talk to Kiyotaka-san... is it possible that we could change his mind?"

"You could try. But I wouldn't count on it."

"Once aniki makes up his mind, there's usually no changing it. At least, that's how I remember it." Ayumu's voice is strangely dull. "He didn't say anything about nee - about my sister-in-law...?"

"Nothing. Sorry." Kirie sighs. "And if I remember _her_ right, she probably isn't going to want to leave, once you tell her that her husband is alive and kicking, is she?"

"I doubt it."

"If Rutherford-san could do such a thing..." Hiyono leans forward, keeping her hand on Ayumu's, looking up the table at Eyes. "Might we be able to ask for someone to watch over us for any signs of trouble? If we were to be kept safe, somehow, would it be necessary for us to flee so quickly...?"

"I can arrange for additional protection on your homes." Eyes is all too willing to please - and who wouldn't be, when it comes to Hiyono? The girl is nothing but sweet when she wants to be. "Please provide me with the addresses, and I will have guards sent immediately."

"Only one address." Ayumu looks up, ignoring Hiyono's surprised reaction. "She'll be staying with me, starting tonight."

"A - Ayumu! That really isn't - "

"We're engaged, aren't we? It's time you moved in with me anyway." He glances at her, and I see something in his expression soften. "Consider it a temporary arrangement. Neesan won't mind."

She fidgets in her chair. "If you say so..."

"I can try to pull some strings within the police department, too. Seeing as I'm still employed as a hostage negotiator from time to time, I could request protection of those two - " Kirie jerks a thumb in my direction, and I realize she's talking about Ryouko and I. " - while they're going to and from campus or at home. As long as I can take my pick of the cop, I can find someone suitable for the task. I can probably come up with some kind of story about their lives being threatened. That would buy us some time for me to continue my research, and the rest of you to try to keep on living at least sort of normally."

"Huh. That's convenient." I nod. "Works for me."

"Yeah," Ryouko agrees with me, smiling slightly. "I would appreciate that."

"It's very hard for an unauthorized person to get onto the military base where I've been living..." Rio places a finger against her lips. "So, hmm... unless a Hunter has already infiltrated the government, I should be relatively safe."

"There are Hunters all over - at least, there used to be - but you'd probably have the upper hand, seeing as you're working with explosives all the time." Kirie laughs. "So keep your wits about you, at the very least."

"So assuming Rutherford gets his own set of guards, I think that settles that." I cross my arms. "But what the hell are we supposed to do now? Even with the protection, it's possible the Hunters will get through, especially if they already know where we've been living and what we're doing. Do we just sit around and either wait to die or wait to see what Kiyotaka meant by allowing us to "awaken," or whatever?"

"What else _can_ we do?" Ryouko sighs. "If he really did say that the two Blade Children that had been with him were coming to find us... I would like to hear what they have to say."

"They might be dangerous, Ryouko-chan..." Rio bites down on her bottom lip. "But... the worst that could happen is that they have turned to the side of the Hunters, like Kanone-kun - "

"Well," I interrupt her, seeing Eyes' whole body immediately tense - and reminding myself to tell Rio again later _not_ to use _that_ name in the presence of either Eyes or Ayumu, who is also looking quite irritated, I notice - "Hunters or not, I'd like to meet them. I've only known a few Blade Children in my lifetime, after all. It might be nice to chat with a couple more - compare notes, or something."

"For the record, that is one of the weirdest things I have _ever_ heard one of your kind say." There's a scraping sound as Kirie pushes her chair back from the table and stands, and we all watch as she places her hands on her hips, surveying the scene of the rest of us sitting at the table. It's quiet until she speaks, and when she does, it's with a smile. "Listen, kids... I hate to be rude, but I have to run. I've already chosen sides by meeting with you, and for all I know, Narumi Kiyotaka could be sitting outside of the building with a rifle waiting to kill me in cold blood the second I open the door. The sooner I get moving again, the better."

Eyes rises, abruptly, clearing his throat. "I will walk you to your car."

Kirie grins, reaching up to pat his shoulder. "You are _such_ a gentleman, Raza-kun. No wonder girls are so crazy about you. If I was ten years younger, I might have already made a move on you."

Eyes blushes again, turning his nose up at those remarks, and this time no amount of kicking under the table from either Ryouko or Rio can keep me from laughing.


	3. so that's what he meant

**art of life**  
chapter three

* * *

About a week later, we find out what Kiyotaka had meant by an awakening.

Rather... _Eyes_ finds out, leaving the rest of us sitting around slackjawed and pinching ourselves repeatedly to confirm that holy shit, this_ isn't_ a dream.

"Wait. Wait, wait, wait. Did you really just do what I think you did?"

"Eyes-kun, no way..."

Ryouko sounds breathless and excited and maybe even a little envious. "Do it again."

Eyes looks at the three of us, shrugs casually, and proceeds to stare across the room at his piano again. There's a moment of silence - in which someone could probably actually hear a pin drop, if there were any pins around - and then a single note sounds out, loud and true, and I notice it's a key or two above the last he played. You know, with his _mind_. Rio shrieks and claps her hands over her mouth, Ryouko looks at Eyes and says "whoa," very slowly, and I pinch myself for probably the twentieth time in five minutes.

"This _can't_ be real," I protest, shaking my head. "Seriously. It has to be some kind of trick. You rigged up the piano to do that, right? There is no way in hell that you suddenly figured out that you have telekinetic powers, of all things - "

I stop mid-sentence when something dark and round - one of Eyes' rings, I gather - floats suddenly in front of my eyes. I stare at it, forgetting to breathe, and just as I reach up to touch it, it falls quickly into my lap. It bounces off of my leg and clatters to the floor, where Rio quickly bends to retrieve it, giving the piece of jewelry a critical - but somehow excited - look. "I am still learning to control it," Eyes says, with a nod at the ring, and pauses to rub his temples with the thumbs of both hands. "It requires rather intense concentration. However... I have already made improvements since my discovery yesterday morning."

"Rutherford, do you have any idea what this means?" Ryouko tightens her hands into fists on her knees, leaning forward on the couch we're occupying. "There are people out there who will give you money to prove this power exists, or even to do this kind of thing in shows! You could be a magician, or - "

"I hardly think this is supposed to be a circus act, Ryouko." I sigh, patting her on the shoulder. "So... alright, assuming I'm not having some kind of hallucination and you really _do_ suddenly have telekinetic powers..." I turn my attention back to the pale-haired man, who has slipped his ring back on one finger. "... how in the hell did this _happen_?"

"Yesterday," he answers me, with a glance at the piano, "I was practicing. I grew frustrated with my hands, as they felt stiff. In a moment of anger, I..." He pauses, his hands dropping from his temples, and I see him look upward as if searching for the correct word. "... glared," he says, finally, "at the keys. And without my interference, a note was played."

"Seriously?" I whistle. "So did you totally shit your pants, or what?"

"_Kousuke_."

"I was able to replicate it," Eyes continues, ignoring my remark as he's often apt to do - not that I blame him - and looking instead at Rio and Ryouko, who are both gaping like fish out of water. "And then... blood ran from my eyes."

Rio squeaks. "Blood?!"

"That's..." I consider this for a moment. "... gross, but also kind of cool, I guess."

"So you've been able to move things around since then... with your mind?" Ryouko blinks a few times. "And you said it's getting better as you practice?"

He nods. "My first attempts caused me great strain, and continued movement brings on fatigue. But I feel that I am improving."

"Have you told anyone other than us?"

"No." He shakes his head. "I did not feel it would yet be appropriate to bring Narumi-otouto into this discussion. However, I feel that I must notify Kirie, as it may assist her with her research."

"That's just... crazy. This is really crazy." I whistle again, low this time. "Do you think this is what Kiyotaka meant by the Blade Children "awakening"? I mean, he said that Charlotte used her "powers" to burn down the Amanae house, right? And he was saying that the ones who escaped were out of control, and were supposed to be under surveillance, right...?"

"So what you're saying is..." Ryouko has a hand on her chin. "... that Rutherford has powers of telekinesis, but that Charlotte and the other Blade Children may have - or once had - powers of their own?"

"Maybe it extends beyond being able to move stuff with your mind." I chuckle, cracking my knuckles. "We ought to make Rutherford bleed from a couple more places and see if that - "

"_No_," Rio cuts me off, and smacks me on the shoulder. "Eyes-kun has been through enough. Don't make it worse!"

"Aw, come on. He's taken a couple hits in his lifetime. It's for the sake of science!"

"Eyes-kun is _not_ a science experiment, Kousuke-kun!"

"There is one more thing," Eyes says, softly, and we all fall silent, looking at him. He walks close to where Rio sits and kneels on the rug before her, pulling aside the left side of his hair and turning his head. "Rio," he begins, "if you could please look closely at - "

"There's a scar beside your eye." She's a quick one, our Rio, and Ryouko and I watch as she reaches out to trace a faint white line on the left side of Eyes' temple. "But Eyes-kun, I never saw this before..."

"I do recall seeing it as a child." She moves her hand and he drops his hair, standing again. "But I do not recall any injuries in my youth which might have caused such a thing. It faded as I grew, and yet... after I discovered my... power... it seems to have made itself known again."

"Oh - " Rio suddenly lifts her hands, turning them over to inspect her wrists, and I hear her draw in a breath. "Then... maybe..."

"Now that you mention it, there's a pretty big scar on my back..." Ryouko bites her lip. "Could something have been put into us...? Something that could cause us all to have powers like yours?"

"It is possible." Eyes frowns slightly. "This might explain the presence of a surgeon among Mizushiro Yaiba's team."

"But why now?" I lift an eyebrow. "Say we all can move things around with our minds. Say we're all going to "awaken" like Kiyotaka said. Why would this be happening _now_?"

"I don't know, Kousuke-kun..." Rio sighs, and I see she's still staring at her wrists, and as she speaks the uncertainty in her voice seems to turn to fear, and I really can't say I blame her. "But I think that we should all prepare for things to change very fast, for us..."


	4. awaken, arise

**art of life**  
chapter four

* * *

Rio calls me in the middle of the day, two days later, to tell me she's awakened. I expect the worst when my phone rings, but her voice is bright in my ear, cheerful, and she sounds happy about it. Considering the power she's discovered, I guess_ I_ would be happy, too.

"There was an accident," she explains, "in the building next door, where firearms are tested. A rifle backfired and someone was hurt. He was unconscious, and one of my colleagues had rushed off to call for the ambulance, and..." She giggles. "I was only trying to apply pressure to his wound, but then I realized I was healing him. As soon as I saw what was happening, there was blood everywhere. It was a little bit scary, Kousuke-kun, and I felt sooo tired... When my colleague came back with a physician, I pretended to feel faint from the blood."

"Have you been able to do it again?" I ask, and both of my eyebrows are raised nearly to the top of my head; Ryouko walks in with a towel around her neck, fresh from an afternoon run, and at the sight of my face she hurries over so she can listen. "Heal, I mean?"

"I have." I can hear the smile in Rio's voice. "I had to test it on myself, and it's still very tiring, but... it's kind of cool, actually!"

"That's amazing."

"Has anything happened with you, Kousuke-kun? Or Ryouko-chan?"

"Nothing." I shake my head, forgetting she can't see me. "I haven't even felt weird. Maybe this whole thing is limited to you and Rutherford, and we'll come to find out that we're not real Blade Children after all - "

"Knock it off," Ryouko interrupts, and I hear Rio laugh with delight at the sound of the brunette's voice. "Be careful, Rio," she says, leaning closer to me to speak into the mouthpiece of my phone, "okay? You're coming back next weekend, aren't you?"

"Yup!"

"By then, I'll have a power of my own, too." Ryouko grins. "So be prepared."

"I can't wait, Ryouko-chan!"

We say our goodbyes and I end the call, and when I slip my phone back into the pocket of my pants and look up, there's a sort of cloudy, muddled expression on Ryouko's face. She sighs as she reaches for the towel around her neck, and it's all too easy to tell that she's starting to worry. "Rutherford, and now Rio, too..." she murmurs. "What do you think will happen to us, Kousuke...?"

"Don't think about it too hard."

"But - "

"Don't," I chide her, and before she can start to protest again, I bend down and kiss her. It's not the first time, but it still feels like it, and when we break apart she is too embarrassed to look me in the eyes. She mutters some kind of protest and slaps me in the arm and then goes storming off to take a shower, and I watch, laughing, wondering how long it's going to take us to be comfortable with each other.

* * *

I'm next, just a few hours later. Ryouko and I are in the middle of the kitchen, fighting - a real fight for once, with harsh words and yelling and both of us getting emotional - when pain surges from the top of my arms into my clenched fists, and I drop immediately to my knees as the world sways beneath me. "Shit," I curse, and it's hard to speak; when Ryouko kneels beside me I push her away as gently as I can. "_Don't._ Don't get close. Something's - "

She sounds worried, as if she's already forgotten that she was in the middle of screaming at me. "Do you think it's - yours?"

"I don't," I start, and then the pain overtakes me fast, and I have to clench my teeth together to keep myself from making a noise that would have certainly been inhuman. For a brief moment it feels like my hands are on fire - and then my hands actually _are_ on fire, and Ryouko falls to the floor, scrambling backwards away from me, while I lift my arms and run for the sink. But by the time I get there the fire is gone, leaving behind raw, glossy pink marks on my palms, a dull aching, and... blood. Lots of blood.

"Well," I begin, hearing the woman behind me breathing so fast I think she's going to hyperventilate, "guess that's it."

"Kousuke," she ventures, carefully, breathlessly, "did you really just... light your hands on fire?"

"Yeah. I think I did."

"How in the..." I hear her stand, and as she paces slowly to the kitchen sink I turn on the tap, washing the blood that has seeped presumably from my palms down the drain. It stings a little, but not nearly as much as any of the other burns I've had over the course of my lifetime - and when my hands are clean, I see the scars, thin and white and crossing each palm in a wide "x." Funny, I never noticed them before. When Ryouko reaches me, she touches my shoulder, leaning over to look at my hands, and her eyes are wide. "Can you do it again?"

"I have no idea how, but..." I flex my fingers; my wrists feel oddly stiff all of a sudden. "What did Rutherford say he did with his?"

"He said he glared at the piano, didn't he?"

"Yeah, that was it." I glare at my hands for a while - eventually I begin to curse at them, too, in my head - and I'm about to give up when I feel heat creep into my palms, and then suddenly there's a little flame burning, cupped in my left hand, and both of us gasp like we've just seen a miracle. Which... I guess we probably have. "Holy_ shit_," I murmur, lifting my palm, and am stunned when I notice that the fire doesn't hurt, this time... nor is it even touching my skin. It's actually sort of hovering above it. "Okay," I start, slowly, "so Rutherford can move things around with his mind, Rio can heal people, and I can light things on fire. That seems perfectly reasonable."

"What is _wrong_ with us?" Ryouko asks, and I can't answer her. We stare at the little ball of fire in my hand until it eventually goes out, and a few minutes later I am sound asleep on the couch, too worn out to even stand.

Eyes hadn't been kidding about the fatigue, after all.

* * *

It takes another week for Ryouko, and by the time it happens she is nervous to the point of making herself sick. She misses classes on Friday morning because she's holed up in our bathroom alternately puking and sobbing. I feel bad for her - and I offer to stay home - but she waves me off to campus, tells me she'll be alright, that she just wants this to be over with. I sympathize, of course, because our scars have been small, but hers is huge, and doesn't bode well for her awakening.

Five hours later I get home and find Eyes and Rio in our living room. Ryouko's smiling and laughing when I walk in, and I stare at her a little too long, apparently, because she rolls her eyes and throws a pillow at me instead of welcoming me home. "You missed it, idiot."

"I missed - oh, damn." The pillow bounces off my head and hits the floor, and I drop my bag before bending to retrieve it. "So what's your po - "

I forget to finish my sentence when I notice that the pillow is gone. When I look up, it's on her lap again, and she smirks broadly at me as Rio giggles. "Okay," I begin, slowly, "what the _fuck_ just happened?"

"Ryouko-chan can teleport!" Rio announces, clapping her hands together gleefully.

"It's not really teleporting," Ryouko explains, casually, as if it's perfectly normal for us to be discussing this - and after a week of me lighting things on fire with my hands, I guess it is. "It's super speed. I can move much faster than a normal person. I can still see everything as it happens, but the rest of you basically... stop."

"How," I start, and then realize it isn't even worth asking how she discovered it, because she's clearly too giddy to give a shit about the particulars, and it's then I also realize that I am never,_ ever_ going to be able to lay a finger on her again unless she wants me to. So much for kissing her, I think.

"That's all of us," she says, leaning back in her chair, carelessly tossing the pillow aside. "So now what do we do?"

"We should tell Kirie-chan, right?" Rio asks, and Eyes nods. "What about Ayumu-kun and Hiyono-san?"

"They'll need to know, too." I flop down on the floor by Ryouko's legs, stretching out my body, worn from three long hours spent in a lecture hall. "That is, assuming they haven't left, and that we still plan on making the truth about the Blade Children known to them."

"They have a right to know, don't they? Considering what they've done for us so far..." Ryouko sounds pensive. "But I don't know that they'll even believe us."

"_I_ barely believe us, honestly." I glance up at her. "I keep expecting to wake up from a long dream."

"Me too, Kousuke-kun..." Rio shakes her head. "Honestly, it's been difficult to keep this a secret. I've been thinking about how I could be using my power to help people who are in the military hospital on our base, and how I want to test it out some more, but..."

"We must be careful with how these discoveries are revealed." Eyes folds his hands together in his lap, frowning slightly, and we watch him in silence for a nearly a minute until he speaks again, with a nod of his chin at me. "Please call them to meet us here tomorrow morning. I will get in touch with Kirie this afternoon. I would like her to be present, as well."

"Hey, one more thing..." I clear my throat, a little uncomfortable with this subject, but I feel like it has to be brought up. "Do you think this means all the other Blade Children are going through the same kind of thing? If Kanone's out there somewhere, and then the two Kiyotaka had with him..."

"Undoubtedly." I can actually see Eyes swallow after he responds, and his voice turns cold. "And that is why I expect the most danger not from the Hunters... but from others of our kind."

"Like we've turned ourselves into some kind of weapon," Ryouko says, quietly, and I can't help but shudder.


End file.
